The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-05-06

That employer asks . young man to hurt
himself for time and for eternity who ex-
poets him to make q wrong entry, or
change an invoice, or say goods cost SO
much when they cost less, or impose upon
the verdancy CT customer, or nisrepre-
ger. style OF fabric. How dare he de-
mand of you any thing so iusolentl
There is one style of temptation that
comes on great many Of our clerks, and
that is upon those who are engaged In
what is called drumming" Now, that
occupation is just as honorable as any
other, il it be conducted in accord with
ones conscience. In this day, when there
are so many rivalries in business, all our
commercial establishments ought to have
men abroad who are seeking out for OPP
portunities of merchandise. There can be
no objection to that. But there are pro-
fessed Christian merchants in the week
night prayer-meeting who have clerks
abroad in New York. conducting mer-
chants of Cincinnati, and Chicago, and St
Louis through the del aucheries OF the
great town, in order to secure their Gus
tom for the store. There are in stores in
New York and Brooklyn drawers in
which there are kept moneys which the
clerks are 10 go and get whenever they
want to conduct these people through
the designations of the city. The
bead men of the firm wink at 1t, and in
some places actually demand it-pro-
fessed Christian merchants. One would
think that the prayer would freeze on
their lips and they would fall back dead
at the sound of their own song. What
chance is there for young men when COM
mercial establishments expect such
things of theml Among all things infer
raj pronounce that the most damnab'e.
Young man, how will that firm treat you
when you are utterly despoiled and drag
gel out with sin, going through the
haunts of iniquity for the purpose OF get
ting customers for their store! How will
they treat you! o, they will give you
pensioni They will build you fine
housed They will get YOU horse and
carriagei Will theyi No. Some day you
will 60 to the store, shabby. intoxicated,
worn out in their service, and they will
say:
John. you are a disgrace to our house
Now, just look at yourself. Accountant,
how much do we owe this manf"
ga dollar and thirty cents"
"Well, now, here-here it is, one dollar
and thirty cents. Go OF. Don't be hang
ing round the store"
Magnanimity superb They stole the
luster from his eye, and the color from
his cheek, and the honor from his soul,
and then they kicked him out. If such
professei Christian merchants do not go
straight to hell. don't know any use of
having such place. o, young men, dis
appoint the expectation of that firm; dis
appoint those customers if these things
are expected of you. You may sell an
extra case of goods, you may sell an extra
roll of silk but the trouble is you may
have to throw your soul to boot in the
bargain.
Again, ] counsel all clerks to corq uer
the trials of their particular position. Ole
great trial for clerks is the inconsidera-
ton of customers. There are people who
are entirely polite everywhere else, but
gruff and dictaiorial and contemplate
when they come into a store to buy any
thing. There are thousands of men and
women who 60 from store to store to price
things, without any idea of purchase.
They are not satisfied until every roll of
goods is brought down. and they
have pointed out all the real or
imaginary defects. They try on all
kinds Of kid gloves and stretch
them out of shape, and they
put on all styles of cloaks and walk to the
mirror to see how it would look. and then
they sail out of the store. saving: 81 W Ill
not take it today" which means: 81 don't
want it at ALL leaving the clerk amid a
confusion OF ribbons. AMI laces. and cloths,
to smooth $50 worth of goods-not one
cent of which did that man or woman buy
or intend TO buy. Now l call that DIS
honesty on the part of the customer. If a
boy runs into a store and takes a roll of
cloth off the counter and sneaks out into
the street, you all join in the cry pell-me IL:
''Stop thiefr When see you go into q
store not expecting to buy anything but
to price things, stealing the time of the
clerk ana stealing the time of his en-
rloyer, l say, too: ''Stopthiefr' IfIwere
asked which class of persons most need
the grace of God amid their annoyances,
l would say: ''Dry goods clerks" All the
Indignation of customers about the high
prices comes on the clerk. For instance:
A great war comes. The manufac tories
are closed. TIE people go Of to battle.
The price of goods runs up. A customer
comes into store. Goods have gone up
'How much is that worthy
Adollar.''
"a dollar! Outrageous A dollarw
Why. who is to blame for the fact that
it mas got to be a dollars Does the indig.
nation go out to the manufacturers on the
banks of the Merrimac. because they have
closed upa No. Does the indignation go
out toward the employer, who is out at his
country seat. No. 1t comes on the clerk.
He got up the wari He levied the taxes
He puts up the rents! OF course it's the
clerk!
THE PARSIMoNIoUS SIDE.
Then a great trial comes to the clerks in
the fact that they see the parsimonious
side of human nature You talk about
lies behind the counter-thcre are just as
many lies before the counter. Augustine
speaks of a man who advertised that he
would. on a certain occasion. tell the peo-
pc what was in their hearts. A great
crowd assembled, and he stepped to the
front and said:
Il will tell you what is in your hearts !:
To bug cheap and sell dcar!r
o, people of Brooklyl, Law not aslle
your urbanity when You come into a store
Tre.t the clerks like gentlemen and ladies
proving yourself to be gentleman or
lady. Remember, that if the prices are
high and your purse is lean, that is no
fault of the clerks. And il you have a son
or daughter amid those perpleXities Of
commercial life, and such one comes
home all worn out, be leDient, and know
that the martyr at the stake no n ,re GER
tainly needs the grace of God than our
young people amid the ssven- times heated
of ri 1ifa
Then there are all the trials which
come to clerks from the trea m mt of in
considerable employers. There are pro-
fessed Christian men in this city who have
NJ more regard for their clerks than they
have for the scales on which the sugars